Interrupter



Feb. 9 1926.

P. A. NEWMAN )LNTERRUPTER Filed DeC. 29, 1923 /m/e/far Pda/. /VeWma/zwww Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL A. NEWMAN, OF GERMANTOWN, PENN SYLVANA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELEC-TRIO COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

INTERRUPTER.

Application filed December 29, 1923.

To @ZZ whom t may concer/a:

Be it known that I, PAUL A. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Germantown, in the county ot Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain nei7 and usetul Improvements inInterrupters, ol which the following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description.

This invention relates to commutatore and more particularly toimprovements in a construction ot commutators to eliminate sparking ofthe brushes thereof.

This invention may be embodied in the construction ot slow speedcommutator type interrupters ot ringing machines used in telephonesystems where the slow speed and changing current conditions mayordinarily cause the segments ot the interrupter rings to burn.

it is an object ot this invention to construct an interrupter otl theabove or any other type so as to prevent sparking and thus save thesegments from burning at the points where the make andbreak occurs.

Another object is the provision of an interrupter in which the segmentsare embedded in and held in place by a molded insulating material and inwhich this insulating` material may be brought flush with the outeredges and surfaces of the segments without danger ot overheatingr whichwould ordinarily have an injurious effect on the interrupter such ascarbonization ot the insulation and burning ot the contact sur'- faces.

To attain these objects in accordance with one 'feature of thisinvention, a series oli' auxiliary segments are provided on both sidesof each live segment and each group of auxiliary segments is connectedto each other and to the corresponding live segments by means ofresistance elements so that the circuit between the brushes and a livesegment is made or broken in steps to increase or reduce the voltage andcurrent in suitable values.

Another feature is the arrangement whereby the resistance elements aremolded into and enclosed by the insulating material and suitablyarranged around the hub of the interupter as well as connected to theirrespective segments before they are embedded serial No. 683,300.

in the material to produce an entirely selfcontained interruptor of thistype.

A particular embodiment of this invention as applied to a commutatortype ringing machine interrupter is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a front view of such an interrupter with aportion broken away to show the resistance units and the manner in whichthey are secured to the segments. Fig. 2 is a side view ot' theinvention with a portion in cross section along the lines 2 2 ot Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawing, the interruptor comprisescircumferentially arranged comparatively wide live segments l and 2 witha plurality ot' comparatively narrow auxiliary segments 3 arranged onboth sides ot cach live segment, and resistance coils lsuitably arrangedaround the hub 5 and connected by means ot' conductors G to theauxiliary segments 3 and the live segments l and 2 as shown. Flush withthese segments on one side thereof is a solid contact ring 7 and all oithese parts, that is, segments,.resistances and the ring are embeddedand held together by suitable insulating material preferably moldedaround the parts. rlhe ring 7 is connected to the live segments l and 2by means of conductors 8 and the brushes 9 and l0 serve to completeconnections between brush 9, conductors 8, live segments l or 2,resistance units 4L, the auxiliary segments 3 and brush l0. It isevident then that circuits so completed will eliminate sparking at thebrushes as when, tor example, the interrupter is rotated in thedirection shown by the arrow in Fig. l, the brush 10 comes lirst inccntact with an auxiliary segment 3 and a circuit will thereby becompleted through all the resistance units et to the brush 9 and as theinterrupter continues to rotate, one of these resistance units afteranother will be eliminated in the succeeding steps until the brush l0 isin contact with the 'live segment l, when a direct circuit extendingthrough the brush 10, segment l, ring 7 and brush 9 is completed, In asimilar manner, when the brush l0 leaves the live segment l, it willproceed to gradually open the circuit by interposing a series ofresistance units 4e, one for each auxiliary segment passed until thecircuit is linally Conipletely broken when it leaves the last auxiliarycircuit 8, The current is therefore gradually stepped up from zero to amaximum value and gradually stepped down from this maximum value tozero, each time the brush 10 makes and breaks connection with a livesegment. vWhile the exact size or width of the brush l() is not ofmaterial importance, its width should not be less than the distancebetween two adjacent auxiliary segments or the distance between anauxiliary segment and the adjacent live segment so as to bridge twoadjacent segments when `passing from one to another.

As the 'invention thus provides means for eliminating the sparking atthe edges of the contact surfaces and brushes the insulation, which maybe of any suitable and similar material throughout the whole mass, maybe brought flush with the entire contact surfaces of the segmentswithout danger of overheating the edges of the insulating material orburning of the edges of the segment. If, therefore, the insulatingmaterial is `such as to wear at the same or approximately the same rateas the contact segments, a smooth and even surface will be secured thatis highly effective for use in interrupters of this type where thecurrent conditions and the speed of the interrupter are apt to vary to alarge degree. Itis also of advantage to have the width of the contactsurfaces of the. auxiliary segments comparatively narrow as comparedwith the width of the live segments. It should be noticed that thecontact segments are suitably shaped on the inner edges or surfaces soas to be gripped by the molded material and held securely in placethereby and not become loose under any conditions of serv-Y ice. rI`heparticular contour of these inner surfaces of the segments is of minorimportance but may take the form of longitudinal grooves such as 11shown in the drawing and any other configurations most suitable fordifferent types. The size and position of the contact ring 7 in relationto the contact segments may also b e changed to suit variousrequirements.

YVhat is claimed is:

1. An interrupter comprising a plurality of metallic main contactsegments, a solid metal contact ring adjacent thereto and connectingwith said segments, a series of comparatively narrow metal contactsegments adjacent the ends of each main segment, resistance'unitsconnecting the auxiliary segments with each other and with thecorresponding main segment, and a body of insulating material holdingsaid segments and ring in place.

, 2.-In an interrupter, the combination of a plurality of main contactsegments, `a series of auxiliary segments at "each end of each mainsegment, and means for preventing sparking comprising a resistance unitinterposed between ea-ch two adjacent auxiliary segments and between thecorresponding main segment and the auxiliary segments at each endthereof.

3. In an interrupter, the combination of a plurality of main contactsegments, a group of auxiliary segments adjacent cach end Vof each mainsegment, resistance elements connecting each two auxiliary segments in agroup and connecting the auxiliary segments nearest the ends of eachmain segment with said main segment, and a body of insulating materialfor holding said segments and resistance units in place.

Ll. In an interrupter, the combination of conducting segments,resistance units connecting them together and a body of insular,- ingmaterial holding said segments and resistance units together.

5. An interrupter composed of conducting segments, resistance unitsconnecting said segments together and a. body of insulating material inwhich said segments and resistance units are entirely enclosed exceptthe contact surfaces of the segments.

6. In combination in an interrupter, a plurality of main conductingsegments, a plurality of auxiliary conducting segments adjacent each endof said main segnicnts, resistance elements connecting each two adjacentauxiliary segments and connecting the auxiliary segments adjacent eachmain segment to said main segment, a hub and an insulating bodyconnecting all of said parts together.

7. An interrupter comprising a phirality of vmain segmentscircnmferentially arranged in relation to each other and havingirregular internal surfaces, a pluralityv of auxiliary segments arrangedcircun'iferentially adjacent to each end of each main segment and havingsimilar irregular internal surfaces, resistance elements interposedbctween each pair of auxiliary segments and between the auxiliarysegi'i'ients and the corresponding main segments, and an insulating bodymolded to enclose the resistance elements therein and to key saidsegments together by being interposed into the openings formed by theirirregular intei-nal surfaces.

8. A circuit interrupter comprising a series of segments having contactsurfaces of varying widths and arranged circumferentially in 4relationto each other, resistances connected between said segments, the segmentsbeing so `arranged that a segment having a comparatively wide contactsurface is connected by resistance units with a group of segments oneither side thereof having comparatively narrow contact surfaces, and aninsulating body enclosing' all of said segments and resistance unitsexcept the contact surfaces of the segments.

9. A circuit interruptor comprising a series of segments having contactsurfaces of varying widths arranged circumferentially in relation teeac-h other, resistances connected between said segments, these segmentsbeing so arranged that a segment having a comparatively wide contactsurface is connected by resistance units with a group of segments oneither side thereof having` comparatively narrow contact surfaces, and acomplete commutaiior ringl having its contact surface adjacent thecontact surfaces ot said segments and connected to the segments havingwide contact surfaces and an 'insulating body enclosing all of saidelements except the contact surfaces et said elements.

l0. A circuit interrupter comprising series of segments having contactsur` ces of varying widths arranged circumferentially in relation toeach other, resistances connected between said segments, the segmentsbeing so arranged that a segment having a comparatively wide contactsurface connected by resistance units with a group of segments on eitherside thereoiI having comparatively narrow contact surfaces, and acomplete cornmutator ring having its contact surface adjacent thecontact suritaces ot said segments and connected to the segments havinga wide contact surface, and insulating body enclosing all of saidcontacts and resistance units except the contact surtaccs ot saidelement and brushes, one tor the contact surfaces of the segments andthe other tor the. contact surface ot the commutator ring.

ll. A circuit interrupter comprising a series ot segments having contactsurtaces of varying widths arranged circumferentially in relation toeach other, resistance connected between said segments, the segmentsbeing so arranged that a segment having a comparatively wide contactsurface is connected by resistance units with a group of segments oneither side thereof having comparatively narrow contact surfaces, and acomplete ring having its contact surface adjacent thecontact surfaces otsaid segments and connected to the segments having Va wid-e contactsurface, an insulating body enclosing the resistanees and all ot saidcontact elements except the contact surfaces thereof, one-brush for thecontact surfaces of the segments and having a contact surface wider thanthe distance between the contact surfaces of two adjacent segments andanother brush for the contact surtace ot the ring.

l2. fr circuit interruptcr comprising a series of segments l'iavingcontact surfaces ot varying` widths arranged circumterentially inrelation to each other, resistances connected between said segments andthe segments being so arranged that a segment havingl a comparativelywide contact surface connected by resistance units with a group otsegments on either' side thereof having comparatively narrow Contactsurfaces, and an insulating body enclosing all of said segn'ients andresistance units except to contact surta ot the segments, and a brushhaving a contact surface wider than the distance between the contactsurfaces of two adjacent commutator segments.

13. A commutater comprising groups oit contact segments, each groupcomprising one comparatively wide segment and a number ot comparativelynarrow segments on either side thereo't, the narrow segments being oithe saine width and spaced equi-distance apart troni each other and fromthe corresponding wide segment, resistances inserted between thesegments in each group and an insulating body enclosing the segments andrcsistances entirely except for the contact surta/cr et the segments.

le. It connnutator comprising groups oi contact segmentscircuml'erentially arranged, each group comprising one wide segment anda number or comparatively narrow segments et equal width on either sidethereof, and spaced an equal distance apart trom each other and treinthe wide segment, a brush adapted to co ncct with said segments widerthan the narrow segments and wide enough to bridge the distance betweentwo segments in a group, resistances inserted between the segments ineach group and a body ot insulating material in which the resistancesare entirely enclosed and serving to hold the segments in place.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day ofDecember A. D., 1923.

PAUL A. NEWMAN.

